Summer Japan on Rails - July 2016

Railway Travel around Japan - July 2016

Building on the success of our 2015 summer tour we are refining our train
tour for July 2016 to take in more stunning Japanese scenery and include more
train orientated activities. We have designed two routes: the first covers
the northern part of the country including Hokkaido before returning to Tokyo.
The second heads south and west to Kyushu and Shikoku, also taking two weeks before returning to Tokyo at the end of July.
There is a lot of country to see and the planned route takes in some 5,400km
rail trips across the country.

The journeys around the country take in many segments of
the high-speed Japan railway network. We have included at least six bullet
train trips with journeys on Hayabusa,
Komachi, Toki,
Kagayaki,, Sakura and Hikari shinkansen trains. Where available we will make use
of "Green Car" for some additional luxury train travel.

Dates and Draft Schedule
(subject to change)

Sat 09 July Tokyo: Patrick and Wendy are available to meet guests
arriving at Narita airport. Options for the day depend on the time of
arrival of the tour guests but allow for a group dinner at a nearby restaurant,
seeing some of the city (afternoon and/or evening) or just sleep if you are
jetlagged.

Sun 10 July Tokyo: Visit Asukusa Kaminarimon (thunder gate), Hozomon and pagoda. An
array of stalls lines the entrance to this shrine. Either lunch from the food
stalls or from a nearby restaurant. In the afternoon visit one or more of the famous neighbourhood areas of Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza etc.
Or, because we run flexible tours, let us know what you would like to do or see.

Mon 11 July Tokyo to Akita:
At speeds up to 320km/h, the Komachi shinkansen is one of the fastest trains in
Japan and takes us from from Tokyo to Akita (662km, 234 minutes). Dinner
at a local restaurant
provides some good food options.

Tue 12 July Akita to Aomori:
Travel along the northwest coast via
Gono Line and Resort Shirakami train
to Aomori (247km, 312 minutes).

Tue 19 July Nagoya to Kanazawa via Takayama:
(290 minutes, 315km) The town of Kanazawa (''Little Kyoto'') is
reknown for many things. Visit the famous Kenrokuen Garden and
Kanazawa castle. Enjoy the local cuisine including fresh sushi and
sashimi at the local fresh foods market.

Wed 20 July Kanazawa to Tottori:
(357 minutes, 478km) Tottori is famous for its sand dunes, complete with
camels.

Mon 25 July Beppu to Hiroshima: (153 minutes 334 km) Miyajima Island and Itsukushima Shrine,
location of the famous "floating" torii gate. This requires a short local train and
ferry ride. Ferry tickets are covered by our JR passes.

Wed 27 July Hiroshima to Kochi:
A morning visit to A-dome (atomic bomb dome), Peace Park
and Museum complex. Travel
by Shinkansen and then local train across the Great Seto bridge (13.1 km) to
Takamatsu on the island of Shikoku. (227 minutes, 341km)